Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) is one of the best industrial stocks to buy. On November 24, Adam Bubes at Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy call on Waste Management. The price target for the shares came in at $256. In a different business update on November 12, the company shared that it now accepts plastic cups made of polypropylene and paper to-go cups, categorizing them as recyclable materials. Residents can now participate in curbside recycling of to-go cups in more local programs across the United Sta ...

According to the company’s data sheet, the North American waste and recycling industry generates approximately $75 billion in total annual revenue – and Waste Management captures the largest share of that market. Approximately 80% of the company’s business comes from private industry contracts, with the remaining 20% originating in the public sector.We’ll start with the industry’s leader, Waste Management, Inc. In the business since 1968, this company is the largest environmental services firm in the US, wi ...

Company Overview - Quest Resource Holding Corporation (QRHC) is a national provider of waste & recycling solutions to large businesses [1,8] - The company serves a $200B+ North American waste and recycling industry [10] - Quest offers expertise with 130+ waste streams and has a nationwide footprint, delivering services in every zip code in the U S [10] - The company focuses on large clients with complex waste streams, including Fortune 1000 businesses [11,13] Financial Performance - The company has experienced ~20% CAGR in Gross Profit dollars from 2016 to 2024 [14] - Quest's revenue for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ending in Q3 2025 was $261.281 million [10,17] - Gross profit for the same period was $44.162 million [17] - Adjusted EBITDA for TTM 3Q25 was $8.853 million, representing a 3.4% margin [17,78] Business Strategy - Quest employs an asset-light model, differentiating itself from asset-based integrated majors and fragmented players [34,32,36] - The company's platform delivers nationwide waste and recycling services, regulatory compliance, and comprehensive data reporting [24] - Quest aims to improve clients' sustainability, reduce waste footprint, and improve efficiencies & cost control [24]

Core Viewpoint - Federal Signal Corporation has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Scranton Manufacturing Company Inc. d/b/a New Way Trucks for an initial purchase price of $396 million, with additional considerations bringing the total potential cost to $480 million, reflecting a strategic expansion into the waste and recycling industry [1][3]. Financial Details - The initial purchase price of $396 million assumes a cash-free, debt-free transaction and is subject to post-closing adjustments. An additional $30 million will be paid for New Way's manufacturing facilities and real estate rights [1]. - The acquisition includes a contingent earn-out opportunity of up to $54 million based on specified financial targets over two years [1]. - The combined initial purchase price represents a multiple of approximately 11x New Way's projected 2026 EBITDA and about 7x projected 2028 EBITDA, factoring in expected synergies [1]. - The transaction will be financed through cash on hand and Federal Signal's credit facility, with a pro-forma net debt leverage ratio anticipated to be less than 1.5x upon completion [1]. Company Overview - New Way is recognized as a leading U.S. manufacturer of refuse collection vehicles, known for its automated side loaders, rear loaders, and front loaders, serving both municipal and private-hauler customers [2]. - The acquisition is expected to enhance Federal Signal's position in the environmental solutions sector and create a new growth vertical within its Environmental Solutions Group [3]. Strategic Implications - The acquisition is seen as a meaningful expansion into the recession-resilient waste and recycling industry, with significant opportunities for synergies and growth acceleration for New Way [3]. - Federal Signal's expertise in selling refuse equipment and its specialty vehicle platform are expected to drive New Way's growth and margin trajectory [3]. Future Outlook - The transaction is expected to be neutral to earnings per share (EPS) in 2026 but accretive in subsequent years, with anticipated EPS accretion of between $0.40 and $0.45 in 2028, alongside expected annual run-rate synergies of $15 million to $20 million [5][6].

Company Overview - Quest Resource Holding Corporation is a national provider of waste & recycling solutions[4,8] - The company's solutions help customers meet business efficiency, sustainability and ESG goals[10] - The company serves the $200B+ North American waste and recycling industry[10] - The company has expertise with 100+ waste streams and a nationwide footprint[10] Financial Performance - The company's TTM Revenue is $271 million[10] - The company experienced ~20% CAGR in Gross Profit dollars from 2016 to 2024[14] - The company's gross margins have more than doubled to >17% since 2016[60] - The Adjusted EBITDA for TTM 2Q25 is $8449 thousand with a margin of 3.1%[17] Business Strategy - The company focuses on large clients with complex waste streams[11] - The company has invested in building a national asset-light model[25] - The company is pursuing a focused M&A strategy to acquire companies with strong clients & focus on service[55]

Core Viewpoint - Long-term dividend stocks are generally more stable and provide consistent dividends due to their established nature and lower volatility compared to the broader market [1][2] Group 1: Waste Management - Waste Management Inc. is a significant player in the waste and recyclables collection industry, with a market capitalization exceeding $92 billion [4] - The company has a dividend yield of 1.40%, an annual dividend of $3.30, and a 22-year track record of increasing dividends, with a payout ratio of 48.96% [5] - In the second quarter of 2025, Waste Management reported a 19% year-over-year increase in revenue, alongside strong earnings per share (EPS) [6] - Operating expenses have decreased to less than 60% of revenue, contributing to a solid free cash flow projection of nearly $3 billion for the year [7] Group 2: Eversource Energy - Eversource Energy, a major utility provider in the northeast, has a dividend yield of 4.63% and an annual dividend of $3.01, but a high payout ratio of 129.18% [9] - The company managed to slightly increase its EPS to 96 cents, surpassing analyst expectations, and reaffirmed its full-year EPS guidance [10] - Eversource's revenue grew by 12% year-over-year, although it fell short of predictions, with a permanent rate increase in New Hampshire expected to provide stability [11] Group 3: Johnson & Johnson - Johnson & Johnson boasts a dividend yield of 3.00%, an annual dividend of $5.20, and an impressive 64-year history of dividend increases, with a payout ratio of 55.61% [12][13] - The company exceeded EPS predictions by 9 cents and revenue estimates by nearly $900 million in its mid-July earnings report [13] - Growth is driven by its innovative medicine business, particularly in oncology, with potential peak sales of $5 billion for its drug candidate TAR200 [14]

Core Insights - The company experienced a revenue growth of 4.6% in Q2 2025, driven by strong core pricing in waste and recycling segments despite ongoing demand challenges in construction and manufacturing markets [5][23][15] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by 8% with a 100 basis point margin expansion, primarily due to pricing above cost inflation and event-related landfill activities [6][35] - The full-year 2025 revenue guidance was updated to a range of $16.675 billion to $16.75 billion, reflecting a reduction of approximately $190 million at the midpoint due to weak construction and manufacturing volumes [11][31] Revenue and Volume Performance - Environmental Solutions revenue decreased by $11 million in Q2 2025, attributed to lower event volumes and softness in manufacturing end markets [2][35] - Residential and large container volumes declined by 3.2% and 3.4%, respectively, due to soft construction activity and shedding of underperforming contracts [3][34] - Organic volume increased by 20 basis points, supported by hurricane cleanup in the Carolinas and wildfire remediation in Los Angeles, but was partially offset by declines in collection categories [6][25] Pricing and Customer Metrics - Core pricing on related revenue was 7%, with open market pricing at 8.6% and restricted pricing at 4.6% for Q2 2025 [7][33] - Customer retention rate exceeded 94%, indicating strong customer loyalty [7][24] - Average yield on total revenue was 4.1%, with an average yield on related revenue at 5% [33][24] Financial Metrics - Adjusted free cash flow for the first half of 2025 reached $1.42 billion, with full-year guidance raised to $2.375 billion to $2.415 billion, reflecting an $80 million cash tax benefit from bonus depreciation [8][31] - Total debt stood at $13.1 billion, with total liquidity at $3 billion and a leverage ratio of approximately 2.5x as of the end of Q2 2025 [9][36] - Year-to-date capital expenditures totaled $727 million, representing 38% of projected full-year spend [8][36] Sustainability and Strategic Initiatives - The Indianapolis Polymer Center began commercial production in July 2025, with six renewable natural gas projects commenced year-to-date [10][27] - The company aims to have over 150 electric collection vehicles in service by year-end 2025, with 27 facilities equipped with commercial-scale EV charging infrastructure [10][28] - Nearly $900 million was invested in acquisitions year-to-date, with a pipeline supporting more than $1 billion in potential deals for 2025 [9][29] Management Commentary - The CEO emphasized a commitment to pricing discipline amid volume challenges, stating that the company will prioritize price over volume when necessary [15][41] - Management described the current demand environment as the most challenging in over a decade, particularly in construction markets [15][51] - The CFO noted that $65 million of the revenue guidance reduction was due to recycling and waste volume weakness, with the remainder largely stemming from Environmental Solutions [14][39]

Core Insights - Republic Services reported $4.24 billion in revenue for Q2 2025, a year-over-year increase of 4.6%, with an EPS of $1.77 compared to $1.61 a year ago, indicating positive growth in earnings [1] - The reported revenue fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.27 billion, resulting in a surprise of -0.75%, while the EPS exceeded the consensus estimate of $1.75 by 1.14% [1] Revenue Breakdown - Environmental solutions revenue was $462 million, below the average estimate of $508.67 million, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 2.2% [4] - Recycling & Waste revenue reached $3.77 billion, slightly above the average estimate of $3.76 billion [4] - Total Collection revenue was $2.82 billion, below the estimated $2.88 billion, but showed a year-over-year increase of 3.6% [4] - Small-container Collection revenue was $1.26 billion, slightly below the average estimate of $1.28 billion, with a year-over-year increase of 4.8% [4] - Large-container Collection revenue was $794 million, below the estimated $810.03 million, with a year-over-year increase of 3.1% [4] - Residential Collection revenue was $752 million, below the average estimate of $771.05 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 2.5% [4] - Landfill revenue was $854 million, exceeding the average estimate of $801.1 million, with a significant year-over-year increase of 12.2% [4] - Other revenue from recycling processing and commodity sales was $114 million, above the estimated $107.31 million, with a year-over-year increase of 6.1% [4] Stock Performance - Over the past month, shares of Republic Services have returned -2.1%, contrasting with the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.6% change, indicating underperformance relative to the broader market [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), suggesting it may perform in line with the market in the near term [3]

Core Viewpoint - Waste Management is highlighted as a reliable investment opportunity with a strong market position and growth potential in the waste and recycling industry, despite the current hype surrounding AI and quantum computing stocks [1][2]. Company Overview - Waste Management is the largest waste and recycling company in North America, controlling nearly 20% of the U.S. and Canadian market [3]. - The company operates 262 landfills, 506 solid and medical waste transfer stations, and 105 recycling facilities [3]. Competitive Advantages - Waste Management benefits from significant barriers to entry, including public resistance to new landfills and regulatory protections, which create a wide moat around its operations [4][5]. - The company's brand recognition is superior to its competitors, providing a competitive edge in expanding national accounts and increasing e-commerce sales [6]. Growth Areas - **Sustainability Initiatives**: Waste Management is investing $1.4 billion to build or automate 39 recycling facilities by 2027 and $1.6 billion to construct 20 renewable natural gas (RNG) facilities [9][10]. Management anticipates a 15% sales growth from these initiatives through 2027, generating $600 million in annual free cash flow [11]. - **Healthcare Solutions**: The acquisition of Stericycle for $7.2 billion positions Waste Management to capitalize on the growing medical waste services market, expected to grow by 7% annually through 2028 [12][13]. Management has increased expected synergies from this acquisition from $125 million to $250 million [13]. Financial Performance - Waste Management has a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 14%, surpassing the peer average of 11%, and exceeds its cost of capital of 8% [14]. - The company currently offers a dividend yield of 1.4%, with a history of consistent increases, delivering total returns of 2,230% since 2000 [15][16]. The dividend payout ratio is 46% of net income, allowing room for future increases [16]. Valuation - Trading at 30 times forward earnings, Waste Management is considered to warrant a premium due to its resilient business model, wide moat, growth opportunities, and passive income potential [17].

Financial Performance and Targets - WM's 2024 adjusted operating EBITDA was $6.6 billion[24], and revenue was $22.1 billion[24] - The company is targeting $28.5 billion to $29.25 billion in revenue by 2027[330] - WM expects $8.85 billion to $9.15 billion in adjusted operating EBITDA by 2027[330] - The company anticipates $4.025 billion to $4.175 billion in free cash flow (before sustainability growth investments) by 2027[330] Sustainability Initiatives - WM has allocated approximately $1.4 billion in investments towards 39 new or automated recycling facilities[63] - These recycling investments are projected to add 2.8 million tons of annual recycling capability[63] - The company has invested ~$1.6 billion in RNG projects, aiming for the generation of 25 million incremental MMBtu annually[63] WM Healthcare Solutions (Stericycle Acquisition) - WM anticipates $250 million in annual run-rate cost synergies from the Stericycle acquisition by 2027[67, 297], doubling original expectations - The National Accounts segment has grown from $1.4 billion to $2.4 billion over the last five years[174] Operational Improvements and Market Dynamics - The company has achieved a core price spread to inflation of >300 bps[39, 162] - WM's frontline wages have increased by >29% over the past 5 years[73]